There’s a really interesting article out by Internet Retailer that shows that people under the age of 35 seem to prefer browsing the web with either Google’s Chrome or Apple’s Safari browsers. While the article notes that Microsoft’s Internet Explorer is making a bit of a comeback as the world’s most widely used browser, the author points out that may not be solely by user choice. He believes that many people use IE because it is the only option available to them – like when it is already installed on a work computer.

Why Chrome and Safari?

Well, besides the fact that tech-savvy users anecdotally seem to prefer Chrome, Safari and even Firefox to Internet Explorer, there’s no denying that mobile usage is certainly having an impact. Apple and Android mobile devices are powered by Safari and Chrome by default, which means that Microsoft’s IE is being trampled right out of the gate in the mobile marketplace.

What does this mean for retailers?

With the meteoric rise of mobile commerce, you absolutely have to be paying attention to your traffic sources. If you're not optimizing your e-commerce site for mobile browsing on Apple and Android devices you risk losing out on selling to younger consumers who tend to be avid buyers of fashion, electronics and home décor. Retailers might consider giving less weight to Internet Explorer in testing how well their sites render on a PC.

Obviously, this is not a one-size-fits-all approach and you’ll need to consult your metrics to get a better understanding of your traffic sources. To get a more granular view, consider looking at the breakout of your mobile vs. classic traffic in the publisher portal and make your decisions on how to optimize your sites based on those findings.

Where does most of your traffic come from? Is IE still the dominant browser in your world? Do you think your vertical has any impact on the types of browsers people use? We’d love to get your comments below.